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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · race · drill · net · spring · fan · rash · scale

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — a coil
  3. net — for catching
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. scale — size or range
  7. drill — army training
  8. spring — of water
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — a measure
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. net — after costs
  16. race — humankind
  17. spring — the season
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. rash — hasty
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. race — a contest
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com